Text 1: わたしの いちにち (my day)
Kana only, with spaces, polite style.
わたし watashi I は wa (topic) まいあさ maiasa every morning しちじ shichi-ji 7 o’clock に ni at おきます okimasu get up
▶ Watashi wa maiasa shichi-ji ni okimasu. “I get up at seven every morning. ” Why: Time に, verb last. パン pan bread を o (object) たべて tabete eat and コーヒー kōhī coffee を o (object) のみます nomimasu drink
▶ Pan o tabete, kōhī o nomimasu. “I eat bread and drink coffee. ” Why: て form links two actions. でんしゃ densha train で de by がっこう gakkō school に ni to いきます ikimasu go
▶ Densha de gakkō ni ikimasu. “I go to school by train. ” Why: で means, に destination. よる yoru night は wa (topic) ほん hon book を o (object) よみます yomimasu read
▶ Yoru wa hon o yomimasu. “In the evening I read. ” Why: は contrasts evening with the rest of the day.
Text 2: 週末 (the weekend)
Kanji with furigana, no spaces, polite past.
土曜日 どようび doyōbi Saturday に ni on 友達 ともだち tomodachi friend と to with 公園 こうえん kōen park へ e to 行きました いきました ikimashita went
▶ Doyōbi ni tomodachi to kōen e ikimashita. “On Saturday I went to the park with a friend. ” Why: Polite past. 天気 てんき tenki weather が ga (subject) よくて yokute was good and 暖かかった あたたかかった atatakakatta was warm です desu (polite)
▶ Tenki ga yokute, atatakakatta desu. “The weather was nice and warm. ” Why: いい → よくて. 桜 さくら sakura cherry blossom が ga (subject) とても totemo very きれいでした kirei deshita was pretty
▶ Sakura ga totemo kirei deshita. “The cherry blossoms were beautiful. ” Why: な-adjective + でした. 日曜日 にちようび nichiyōbi Sunday は wa (contrast) 家 いえ ie home で de at ゆっくり yukkuri relaxed しました shimashita did
▶ Nichiyōbi wa ie de yukkuri shimashita. “On Sunday I took it easy at home. ” Why: ゆっくりする: relax.
Text 3: 駅前のパン屋 (the bakery by the station)
Plain style, as in a diary or blog.
駅前 えきまえ ekimae by the station に ni at 小さな ちいさな chiisana small パン屋 パンや pan’ya bakery が ga (subject) ある aru there is
▶ Ekimae ni chiisana pan’ya ga aru. “There is a small bakery by the station. ” Why: Plain ある. 毎朝 まいあさ maiasa every morning 六時 ろくじ roku-ji six に ni at 開く あく aku opens ので node because 通勤前 つうきんまえ tsūkin mae before commuting に ni at 寄る よる yoru drop in
▶ Maiasa roku-ji ni aku node, tsūkin mae ni yoru. “It opens at six, so I stop by before work. ” Why: ので for the reason. 店主 てんしゅ tenshu owner は wa (topic) いつも itsumo always 笑顔 えがお egao smile で de with 迎えてくれる むかえてくれる mukaete kureru welcomes (me)
▶ Tenshu wa itsumo egao de mukaete kureru. “The owner always greets me with a smile. ” Why: てくれる: kindly, for me. 今日 きょう kyō today 買った かった katta bought メロンパン meronpan melon bread は wa (topic) まだ mada still 温かかった あたたかかった atatakakatta was warm
▶ Kyō katta meronpan wa mada atatakakatta. “The melon bread I bought today was still warm. ” Why: Relative clause 今日買った before the noun.
Text 4: 日記 (a diary entry)
Plain style with a little more vocabulary.
今日 きょう kyō today は wa (topic) 久しぶりに ひさしぶりに hisashiburi ni for the first time in a while 友達 ともだち tomodachi friend に ni (target) 会った あった atta met
▶ Kyō wa hisashiburi ni tomodachi ni atta. “Today I met a friend for the first time in ages. ” Why: 久しぶり: after a long time. 駅前 えきまえ ekimae by the station の no ’s カフェ kafe café で de at 三時間 さんじかん sanjikan three hours も mo as much as 話した はなした hanashita talked
▶ Ekimae no kafe de sanjikan mo hanashita. “We talked for three whole hours at the café by the station. ” Why: Number + も: as many as. 昔 むかし mukashi old days の no ’s 話 はなし hanashi stories で de with 盛り上がった もりあがった moriagatta got lively
▶ Mukashi no hanashi de moriagatta. “We had a great time talking about the old days. ” Why: 盛り上がる: get lively. また mata again すぐ sugu soon 会いたい あいたい aitai want to meet
▶ Mata sugu aitai. “I want to see her again soon. ” Why: Diary style: plain たい, no です.
Reading strategies
How to read faster without a dictionary.
▶ 全体を読む ぜんたいをよむ zentai o yomu read the whole text once for the gist ▶ 知っている漢字を探す しっているかんじをさがす shitte iru kanji o sagasu find the kanji you know ▶ 助詞で区切る じょしでくぎる joshi de kugiru split at particles ▶ 文末を見る ぶんまつをみる bunmatsu o miru check the sentence ending
Check yourself
Read each sentence aloud, then open the answer.
Read: わたしは まいあさ パンを たべます。 Show answer ▶ わたしはまいあさパンをたべます。 Watashi wa maiasa pan o tabemasu. I eat bread every morning.
Read: 週末に公園へ行きました。 Show answer ▶ 週末に公園へ行きました。 しゅうまつにこうえんへいきました Shūmatsu ni kōen e ikimashita. I went to the park at the weekend.
Read: 駅前に小さなパン屋がある。 Show answer ▶ 駅前に小さなパン屋がある。 えきまえにちいさなパンやがある Ekimae ni chiisana pan’ya ga aru. There is a small bakery by the station.
How to read extensively
The four rules of 多読, used by Japanese teachers worldwide.
Start easy やさしいものから yasashii mono kara start below your level
No dictionary 辞書を引かない じしょをひかない jisho o hikanai guess from context
Skip freely 分からないところは飛ばす わからないところはとばす wakaranai tokoro wa tobasu skip what you do not get
Stop if bored つまらなければやめる tsumaranakereba yameru switch books